Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1887-04-22
Scarlet Fever.

The State Board of Health has is
sued circular relative to that highly
contagious and infectious disease,
scarlet fever, which is to be more
dreaded than smallpox, for it cannot
be prevented by vaccination, and
claims its victims even in greater
numbers than that dread disease
Along with diphtheria, it is the most
dreaded as it is among the most fatal
of the diseases of childhood, and it is
therefore highly desirable that all
parents should understand the nature
of the disease and the best means of
preventing its spread Sore throat
and skin eruptions are often the pre-
cursors of scarlet fever, and when
these are detected, the patient should
at once be separated from the rest of
the family until physician has been
called in or the symptoms named
have disappeared. One fact should
always be borne in mind, and that is,
the mildest case Of scarlet fever may
communicate the disease in its most
fatal form
The poison of scarlet fever may be
communicated by personal contact, by
infected clothing. from the discharges
Of the patient; in fact, from any arti
cles which have been touched by him
no matter how trivial they may be-
The discharges of the nose, eyes ears,
skin and BODY generally are consider
ed more dangerous than all else, and
this danger remains so long as the
skin is in an unhealthy condition and
peels off in flakes or scales This
period is never less than forty days,
and sometimes is twice as great The
time which intervenes between the
exposure to contagion and the ap-
pearance of the disease is various-it
may be six days or four times as long,
so that parents are often deceived as
| to the source of the infection
Scarlet fever is usually regarded as
one of the diseases of childhood, aud,
in fact. the greatest number of deaths
from it are of children under ten
years Of age, but nevertheless it is
sometimes contracted by adults, and
although in mild form, they may
convey it to children insits most ma
lignant shape. Usually one attack
prevents recurrence; neither is it
disease to which all children are SUBJ
ject; many are not attacked by it, and
none would be if the poison germs
could be kept from them.
AS it is the result of special poi
son, the first step to secure immunity
is to prevent the exposure of children
to its influence. When the disease
breaks out in a school, the pupils
should at once be withdrawn, and
kept from those houses where it ex-
lists. When it appears in a family,
those children not affected should be
removed to other places, out of dan
ger. The parents should refrain from
attending church or other public as
semblies as much as possible.
Pure water should be used as far
aSit is procurable If there is any
doubt about its character, it should
be boiled. Care should also be given
to pure foods and milk, and these
should never be received from homes
in which tie disease is known to have
been within a recent period. Clean.
illness is another precaution that is
strenuously insisted upon, as filth is
considered q promoter Of scarlet fever,
Sewer gas must not be allowed and
all foul odors of whatever kind should
be destroyed. All these precautions
may not prevent the contagion in
certain cases but they nevertheless
may do so in many, but their observ-
ance is therefore of the utmost impor-